Anime & Manga: A Lost Story Idea
IntroductionNow that I am essentially disabled and unable to hold down a regular job, I'm being encouraged to do something that I always wanted to do, but never did: write stories for publication.
I really don't know how to sell stories for publication, or how to promote and market them properly, but I read that almost all successful authors have to do almost all of their own promotion, and that many use blogs to do that with. So one of the things that I am going to use this site for is to learn how to write proper stories, how to sell them, and how to market them - and I suppose myself, as well.
I don't know what kind of adventure that this is going to be, but you are welcome to come along for the ride!
One of the first things that I am going to do is to go over some of the notes that I have saved, for ideas that never saw the light of day, and just lay them out for all to see. Just to sort of get into the mood to write, really. So I'm going to share some old ideas that I probably won't explore, just to work out my chops writing and to work on my writing style.
Here is one set of notes that I just found, that needs a little explanation. The inspiration driving this piece was that at the time I was noticing how many pieces of fiction or creative entertainment over-used acronyms for names of characters, settings, just about everything. Looking around, that seems to have been a common sort of thing to do, from Marvel Comics' S.H.I.E.L.D. in the 1960s and '70s, to the animated TV series M.A.S.K. in the 1980s, and much more.
I felt that it was kind of unprofessional, immature and childish, but when done well it could be silly fun. I like silly fun, so I thought I'd give over-using acronyms a try, and this is what came out in a fit of stream-of-consciousness writing.
I remember that as I wrote it, the imagery coming to mind was of an age far, far in the future in which humans were long extinct, but their machines kept going on without them. In that future, the machines had broken up into two opposed camps, one that was more cyborgs and androids (think the Terminators from the movie franchise of the same name, to Data and Lore from Star Trek: TNG), and the other camp more like classic Japanese-style giant robots (think anything from the Power Rangers to the Transformers).
BTW, one of the reasons that I never pursued this as a story premise is that I felt it was too derivative of many other known stories, and that the core story was too generic: time travelers from the future come back into our present to rediscover the best of humanity, and decide to be champions of humanity and change their future for the better. That was done over and over already, from the Back to the Future and Terminator franchises to too many episodes of Star Trek and of Dr. Who to recall.
Anyways, here is the original set of notes (with some corrections of spelling, grammar, etc.) as a bit of motivation. Let me know what you think: should I revisit this and address it as, I don't know, maybe a short story? It would require a significant rewrite, to find a better point to make, so I don't know ...
Story Premise, 5-5-95
Anime & Manga: The Escapists
... The Final Chapter
5.017.752. Log entry 17.
The Great War is coming to an end. At Oro and Tropez, the Andromen were victorious, obliterating the withered forces of the Mechamen and laying our planets waste. At Centauri and Rigel, the defending Mechamen were reduced to scrap and the Factory Planets of old hurled into their own stars. Only token pockets of resistance remain throughout the galaxy. The Andromen have finally won their war against us.
But, as the Librarian so clearly stated, the Andromen are not entirely free of war's menacing shadow yet. The new electrogenetic virus is already in place and awaits only its delivery to ensure a new age of total war in the galaxy. It poises, Interceptor-like, to ravage the many mechanisms which its behavior so ironically imitates. When this happens, the Andromen will turn upon themselves in turmoil, in confusion, in opposition. The probability is high that they will destroy themselves in one last, final orgy of war. This outcome is extremely desirable.
Not that it will change things. The Great War reached a successful climax several million years ago when the last of the heretical humans were exterminated on Earth Prime and their planet reduced to a ring of dust around the Sun. Unfortunately, their mechanisms continued the fight, led by the ANIMEs. The ANdroid Interceptor MEchanisms, or ANIMEs, are human in appearance and are impressed neuroelectronically with the electrogenetic engrams of the heretical humans' warrior elite. These cybernetic abominations are considerable in combat, not only being machines but also able to use other machines as a human would, as well. Compared to our forces, the ANIMEs are appallingly adaptable. Worse, they are admittedly better than our most advanced artificial intelligences in certain planning modes, specifically those involving cunning, duplicity, deceit and betrayal.
It is surprising that they do not have any developed form of emotional state, considering the advanced form of paranoia that encourages such modes of thinking. Perhaps, like us, they choose to shield their programming from intrusion by selectively suppressing emotional nodes in their AI subsystems. If so, this too can be used against them, as well as the electrogenetic virus.
5.017.757. Log entry 213.
Disastrous news has come regarding our forces on Pilum. The Andromen have attacked in force, decimating our outposts and wiping out the last three battalions of our Destroyer-class MANGAs. Without the Destroyers, it may become very difficult to deliver the electrogenetic virus to the Andromen. The smaller, more agile Destroyers could have been able to get in close to their ANIME opponents during battle. Our remaining MANGAs, of Devastator- and Annihilator-classes, are too large and too slow to engage the Andromen at close range. The loss of the Destroyers is very damaging to our cause and very distressing to our morale.
5.205.011. Log entry 751.
With our forces now scattered and in retreat, with the Librarian captured or destroyed, and with our plans now in ruins, there is only one hope for the destruction of our enemies. That is the possibility of our remaining MANGAs making final contact with the Andromen in guerrilla-type combat in our wake.
To draw forth the enemy, we have now gathered the final remnants of our once great fleet - three cruisers, a frigate, a light carrier, four destroyers and numerous support vessels - and are retreating quickly toward the galactic core in hopes that the Andromen will follow and try to destroy us before we get there. In trying to capture and destroy bases we leave behind us, they will encounter the last of our MANGAs.
It is unfortunate to have to sacrifice our MANGAs so, but due to their function it is unavoidable. The Multiphasic ANthropomorphic Geotype Androids, or MANGA, are specifically designed as infantry troops and are no better than cargo aboard ships. If they are in any way able to come into actual physical contact with the Andromen or their intelligent machines, the virus should be able to infect the ANIMEs and quickly and severely cripple, or at least hamper them.
However, the virus requires an active, powered host. Our MANGAs must stay alive. If the virus can thereby be transmitted to the Andromen, it will not matter that the fleet and the last of the Mechamen perish in the action. There is no dishonor in victory.
Curious news, or perhaps scurrilous rumors, have it that a small force of Destroyers actually survived the attack on Pilum and are trying to rejoin the Mechamen. If this is true, they must be informed about our fleet and guerrilla action. Even a squad of Destroyers, strategically placed, could by their actions contaminate the enemy and save the fleet. This message then, and these explicit orders, remains behind in the possibility that even one Destroyer survives to receive them.
END OF LINE.
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Main Characters
MANGA Destroyer D-13-79892
Last survivor on either side of the Battle of Pilum, stellar date 5.017.725. Marooned on the planet and unable to leave it or to communicate with his command, D-13 repaired himself, and in the process of scavenging his squad-mates for parts also found the nearly complete remains of an enemy, female-type ANIME which, for lack of anything else to do, he also reassembled and repaired.
In so doing, he copied parts of his AI program into her M.A.I.N., or Major Artificial Intelligence Network. The incompatibilities between their differing AI subsystems caused a series of neural net crashes, the result of which left her with a complete range of human emotions and the incomplete memories of her electrogenetic engram donor.
D-13 now finds itself in the unenviable position of guardian for an enemy combatant that is more complete, more combat capable, and less psychologically able than itself, and with both of them stuck in a pretty hopeless position. Until they find a dangerous and questionable way out.
ANIME Cyan 5611-7a
Cyan, the CYbernetic ANdroid warrior rebuilt by D-13, awoke with the sensation of someone poking around in her head with a logic probe the size of a planet. She has not quite come to grips with the fact that she is not Lt. jg. Mariam Wagram, United Earth Space Marines, but an android war machine currently made out of a lot of spare parts. Having an eight-foot tall MANGA Destroyer for a doctor/repairman and guardian is a little unsettling, too.
"Aren't we supposed to be trying to kill one another?" was the first intelligent thing she was able to say to her somewhat cranky companion, after accessing her memories of the recent battle.
"We already did that," he replied. "You lost."
